Time-resolved ARPES study of the candidate type II Weyl-semimetal WTe2

ORAL

Abstract

Since their theoretical prediction in 1929, Weyl fermions have eluded the high-energy physics community. Only very recently quasiparticle behaving like Weyl fermions have been identified first in the semimetal TaAs, then in various compounds such as NdAs, TaP and NdP [1]. Soon after these observations it was realized that, contrary to high energy physics particles, Weyl quasi-particles in solids can break Lorentz invariance. Materials hosting these novel quasiparticles are named type-II Weyl semimetals and WTe2 was proposed as the first realization of such exotic state of matter [2]. In this contribution we will present a pump-probe time-resolved ARPES study to investigate the relaxation dynamics in the candidate type II Weyl-semimetal WTe2. We identify fast and slow components in the electron relaxation dynamics, which display a strong dependence on both the electron momentum k and temperature. The interplay between the temperature evolution of this dynamics, details of the electronic band structure, and putative Weyl quasiparticle behaviour, will be discussed. [1] Z. K. Liu et al., Nature Materials 15, 27--31 (2016). [2] A. A. Soluyanov et al., Nature 527, 495--498 (2015).

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Authors

  • Elia Razzoli

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia

  • Fabio Boschini

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia
    • Quantum Matter Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia

  • Matteo Michiardi

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia
    • Dept. of Physics, University of British Columbia,Vancouver, Canada

  • M. Zonno

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia

  • P. Nigge

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia

  • B. Zwartsenberg

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia

  • G. Levi

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia

  • B. Yan

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany

  • V. Suess

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany

  • C. Felser

    • Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany

  • A. K. Mills

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia

  • D. J. Jones

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia

  • A. Damascelli

    • Quantum Matter Institute, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of British Columbia